Piqued by the wanton decay of historic buildings in the country, a Not-for profit organisation, the Legacy 1995 has called for private sector support towards maintaining the buildings.

The group made the call during its 23rd Yearly General Meeting and Supporters Appreciation day in Lagos. Vice President of the historical and environmental interest group, Mrs. Kofo Adeleke, observed lack of support by private organisations towards supporting the sustainability of historic buildings.

She said, “In these times when there are so many competing concerns and interests, support from the private sector for the preservation of historic buildings and monuments is not always high on corporate social responsibility initiatives”.

Adeleke however, commended Kansai Plascon of the Paints and Coatings Manufacturers of Nigeria for support to Jaekel House, which is almost 120 years old and one of the oldest buildings within the Railway Compound in Ebute-Metta.

She stated, “In 2010, after years of neglect, the restoration work on the building was completed by Legacy, a non profit organisation, and it is a very fine example to illustrate Legacy’s objective to promote and preserve the character and appearance of historic buildings and monuments in Nigeria.

“Kansai Plascon generously donated all of the paints, as well as the painting services to Legacy to help with the recent renovation of Jaekel House. The team painstakingly work several months on both the interior and exterior as well as the garden structures keeping in mind that the building is over a century old”, she added.

While recognising other organisations, such as, Cappa and D’Alberto Plc , who have over the years provided the organisation with financial and material supports, Mrs. Adeleke urged them not to relent in their support and charged other organisations to emulate their good gesture.

Responding, the National Contracts Chain Manager of Kansai Plascon, Mr Stephen Scott thanked Legacy 1995 for the recognition, saying the gesture is in line with the company’s corporate social responsibility. Jaekel house is named after a Briton, who spent 25 years working on Ebute Meta Railway Station.

The station was unveiled in 1889 by Admiral FBI Porbeni, however the building was left in shambles until the intervention of Legacy 1995 with support from other private organisations.